From the ashes that had been
by DarknessBloodAngel
Summary: The prequel to The Warrior and the Ex-Dragon. Dedicated to CharmanderGatomon.


**Hey guys, here's another Jack/Brody oneshot from me. You're probably wondering why I've dedicated it to a random dude, but they actually gave me the idea for doing a prequel, so I may have wrote it out, but thank them for bringing the idea up or else I never would have done it. :)**

**There's not much to explain with this one, I'm gonna say it's set directly after The Wrath of Swan this time, since Brody finds Jack after the Cotillion. I'm warning you guys now, this may be crap compared to the last one, but I'd still love to know what some of you thought. But if you're a flamer - even though there's only **_**hints**_** of slash this time - don't waste your energy trying to send me something hateful, I'll just ignore you.**

**This is only short, but then again, most fillers in my mind aren't fifteen pages long otherwise they wouldn't be called 'fillers' would they? :P**

**This story is dedicated to CharmanderGatomon for giving me the idea to do a prequel. :)**

* * *

The music was loudly pumping in Jack's ears, the strobe lights nearly blinding him every time they roved towards him. Parties were_ not_ his thing and he could have been at home playing a video-game if Frank hadn't picked today of all days to try and embarrass Kim for walking out on the Black Dragon Dojo. Jack just wanted to go home and shower, the gravy was starting to stick to him and all the magical gimmicks in the suit made sitting down - or breathing - very uncomfortable.

Jack laughed as he watched Kim dancing from where he was sat by the refreshment table. As the night had gone on, it had gotten worse and people were cringing, but she didn't care. Jerry did though, and as of now, he was trying to teach her how to dance properly instead of looking like a spider crawled into her underwear.

Jack stood up, rubbing his temples, and walked towards the door, hoping to slip out unnoticed, but Jerry's voice stopped him, "Yo, Jack!" he called over the loud music, "where are you going?" he asked.

"Home," Jack yelled back, "I'm covered in gravy." He extended his browned sleeves and Jerry nodded in understanding, needing an excuse to look away from Kim as she reverted back to her old ways of dancing. "See you guys tomorrow," he waved to them, turning around and pushing the fire exit open.

The cool night air hit his face full force, refreshing him like a cold oasis in a scorching hot desert. His head ache was letting up slightly now he was away from that hideous music. It was worse than what had played when he had dreamed of being stuck in Kung Fu Cop 77, and _that_ was disco. He shook that from his mind with a smile and began to walk home.

"Hey, Jack!" a voice called from behind him. Jack stopped in his tracks, gritting his teeth as he turned around with his fists clenched, about ready to chew Brody out. What was so important everyone kept interrupting him in his quest for a shower? It wasn't just that though, it was because of _him_ he and Kim were covered in chunky mushroom gravy.

"What do you want, Brody?" he asked harshly as the other boy jogged to a halt in front of him.

"I wanna talk to you," he said.

"And I just wanna go home and shower," Jack said bitterly. '_And I just wanna punch the living daylights out of you,_' he had been tempted to say, but he was too tired to start a fight that would be too closely matched to last him quicker than a minute. "We all _want_ things, dude," he said, turning around to walk away.

"Wait," Brody said quickly, grabbing hold of his shoulder and turning his back around. Jack glared at him, pushing Brody's hand off him. "I'm sorry," he apologised.

"For what?" Jack asked with narrowed eyes. "Lying, setting Kim up to get covered in gravy, working with the Black Dragon's?" he listed them in exasperation, counting off a finger for each one. Brody sighed and licked his lips nervously.

"I had no idea they were gonna do _that_," he gestured to Jack's gravy-covered suit and the smears on his face. "I only knew that what they were planning was going down at the cotillion." Jack didn't believe him one bit. He had known something was up with Brody when he first met him.

"Liar," Jack accused him harshly, "you just wanted to wear one of their gi's." He waved him off. He could never understand what was so special about those things; they were just black with red stripes, or all red if they were training in class.

"Frank said it would make my eyes pop," Brody defended himself weakly, and Jack forced himself not to laugh by thinking of something that made him cringe.

"He also says he'll marry Kim in three years," Jack said with disdain in his voice, "he lies!" he said in exasperation, throwing his hands up in mid-air.

"Do you like her?" Brody asked.

"As as friend, yeah," Jack nodded.

"Then why did you do all this to save her?" he asked in bewilderment. "From gravy," he added with a confused face.

"Because that's what friends do for each other," Jack said, it clearly not being something Brody would understand. "It's the Wasabi Code," he told him.

"Wasabi Code?" Brody asked incredulously, and Jack nearly rolled his eyes. The only thing the Black Dragon's taught were to cheat and lie to rocket your way up the ranks and then cheat some more to beat the best and _become_ the best.

"Yeah," Jack nodded in a softer tone, he always got sentimental whenever he talked about Karate, it reminded him of his Grandfather. He took a deep breath and placed his fist onto his palm. "We swear by the light of the Dragon's eye, to be loyal and honest and never say 'die'. Wasabi."

"Where'd that come from?" Brody asked in amazement.

"Bobby Wasabi," Jack told him with a grin. "He's the founder of the Bobby Wasabi Dojo," he explained. He couldn't believe he was momentarily getting along with the reason the fight broke out and why he was covered in gravy. _Well_, Jack remarked, _people have become friends over stranger things._

"Isn't that the tiny one across from Reptile World?" Brody sniggered.

"We're not _that_ small," Jack chuckled, jokingly punching Brody on the arm. They were getting renovations since the store next to them was out of business and Turner had approved the idea in case of more students and not enough room. "And we're open to new students if you still need a place to train," he offered.

"Seriously?!" Brody asked with wide eyes. "Thanks man!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Jack in a hug. He was slightly surprised by the sudden gesture, but it felt... sweet, _right? _He couldn't find the right word to describe it. Brody finally released him, holding him at arms length, saying in bewilderment, "I thought that you said-"

"Kim and I are the only black belts," Jack cut him off. He knew everyone could be potential black belts if they applied themselves, but they couldn't find the right motivation. "Milton's too scared to go in the next tournament, Eddie can't fight and Jerry... well you've seen how confused he gets," he said. Despite not knowing Jerry for long, Brody could still nod his head in agreement.

"Trust me, Rudy will take anyone," Jack smiled, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Cool," Brody nodded. "But back to Kim," he said, and Jack rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "She's _just _a friend?" he asked like he was seeking permission to ask her out. Jack was pretty sure Kim wouldn't go out with the guy who ruined her dress and her hair. It didn't seem like he _was_ asking about Kim, but Jack couldn't peg what else it could be about.

"Yeah," Jack said, "did you _not _see me sigh in relief when her 'jam' came on?" he chuckled. "I didn't want to dance with her," he said, seeing Brody's face elevate in relief.

"Why are you asking?" he asked.

"No reason," Brody said, sounding nervous as he licked his lips. Even in the dim glow of the street lamp, Jack could see a slight blush over his face. "So, about Dojo?" he asked, making Jack laugh as it was an obvious cover to break the short silence.

As they walked down the same path - maybe the same path they would be on for as long as they were friends - Jack had a feeling that something was going to rise from the ashes that had been their previous animosity towards each other.


End file.
